Carrier device for suitcases, valises, and the like



, C. RITTENHOUSE. JR

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Filed Aug. 24; 1923 A TTOR/VEX Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

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Application filed. August 24, 1923. Serial No. 659,128.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that 1, CHARLES RLTrrE-N- HoUsn, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Ginci nnati, in the county 10f Hamilton and State of .Ohio, have invented a certain new and ,useful Improvement in Carrier Devices for Suitcases, Va lises, and the like, of which the following is .a specification.

This invention relates to carrier devices for ,satehels, suit-cases, valises and like packs, and its object is to provide auxiliary or adjunct device for convenient and comfortable engagement With the fore-arm of the person ,to Very Inateriallyequip him ivith inexpensive detachable means for facilitating the carrying fol a suit-case or other pack Without it being necessary to use the hand direct on the ordinary handle ,of the pack.

The details of structure and use of the improved device Will be fully hereinafter described in connection with theaccompanying sheet of drawings, :in hich- Figure 1 is a perspective ,vie showing one iorm of my invention as :it appears in use .on the ,right rem-arm of aperson; Fig. 2', a perspective view of the adjunct-element shown in Fig. 1, taken by itself and on a much larger scale .thanthat of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side elevation, partly in section, of the device seen in Figs. 1 and2, and including a cross-section of the grip-handle that projects upwardly from the top of the suitcase, a fragment only of the latter being shown; ,4, an elevation "of another form of adjunctelement embodying my invention herein, but onlan adjustable and collapsible basis to provide for different sizes oct' iorearms ,and folding into small (compass for packing or putting away, the leather cotterings being omitted from the main archineniber and the resting-tip of ,the brace or.

prop member, and the said resting-tip be. ing shown broken ofl; and Fig. 5, plan view of the said main arch-member detached from the companion or compleen a iy b aceo pr p membe t more s- ,tinctly 01- clearly show the Efiilt inner side of the rsatchelsupporting member that int r ne be w e th sai a h and brace members.

5 indicates an ordinary suit-case having ,the customary griphandle 6, With tapered opposite ends 7,7, and attached by means of swivels 8, 8, ,to the top 9 of the bodyportion of the suit-case so ,as to project upwardly therefrom.

10 indicates the foresarm of the person carrying vthe suit-case in a free and extremely easy manner, (in this instance, the person represente being woman who s not ordinarily considered as having great carrying strength and yet finds it convenient and expedient, With my auxiliary device, to carry her open umbrella or ,parasol over herself and the suit-case, .-for protection and comfort against rain,'or against the sun, as the cas migh be) The suit-case is thus carried high above the Talk and next-the hip or the upper part of ,the thigh, so xthat ,itdoes not hit or strike the l wer limb nor the lower part of the cloth es r f the person, nor objects along the walk. Thus both of the hands of the person are free, to ,carry .anumbrella (as indicated by its stick in Fig. I) or any other desired,object,or to use the hands for Various other ordinary urposes, and he is also free ,to alk,,0 r to ,run (if need be) and without having the suit-case blocking his progress by strik ng aga nst h s lower limbs and otherwise dangling about, as very commonly the pract ce withthe ordinary grip-handle that drags on the suspended hanging arm of the person and causes him to droop to one sid nt a very uncomfor able and sometimes painful position, and often. forcing him, with a heavy satchel or ,pack, "to set it down ifor a rest from time to time and for 'changing from one hand to the other as h go alone- 'The adjunct-element can be easily turned down, out of the way, n:he11 not in actual use in carrying the pack, ,or, if desired, it may be readily detached and put away, in the pack or elsewhere, convenient for atta men and se The details of structure ,of the adjunct vor auxiliary element herein. I will now proceed ,to describe. It comprises an arched or upwardlycurved main-member 11 preferably made of very strong Wire and provided with a leather sheath "12 that :is somewhat broadened or flattened out to pad or cushion the said wire arch-member 11 for use when resting on the fore-arm of the person, just next to or slightly forward of the bend or crotch 13 at the elbow, in the very advantageous {pack-carrying position contemplated hereby. The said strong wire extends integrally (in the form seen in the first three views) into a U-shape satchel hanger or hook member 14 whose upper part 15 is flexed inwardly toward the lower adjacent part of the main part of the said wire archmember 11 so as to somewhat contract the opening or jaw and thereby form a sufficient barrier against the vertical escape of the adjunct-element from place on the regular grip-handle 6 when in using-place on the pack. The adjunct-element is placed on the grip-handle 6 by passing the satchel-hanger hook or jaw member 14; over either of the tapered opposite ends 7 7, thereof and then slipping it onward to a central position on the thick grip-part of said handle, as best shown in Fig. 1. The jaw or hook member 14, in which the grip-handle is seated or hook-supported, permits the latter to freely turn or partially rotate therein, and thereby allow the arch-member 11 to comfortably adapt itself to the inner face of the fore-arm of the person. The arm 15 of the jaw or hook member has an integral downward-extension 16 that forms an outwardly-slanting brace or prop for the adjunct-element when it rests with its lower end 17 in contact with the upper face of the top 9 of the suit-case. The prop 16 serves to both hold and stabilize the suit-case on the fore-arm, and it also prevents any undue swinging of said suit-case, laterally or outwardly, from the person carrying it. The said lower or outer end of the prop is flattened and provided with a leather cover or pad 18 to protect the said upper face of the suit-case top 9 from abrasion or denting in the bracing or fulcruming of the adj unct-element thereon.

In the form of adjunct-element device, seen in Figs. t and 5, the several parts thereof are not made integral, as in the form seen in the previous views, for the jaw-member in this instance is made in two corresponding coacting sections or hook-members 19 and 20, one on the fore-arm member 11 and the other on the prop-member 16, respectively,) each half-round in cross-section and with their flat sides in contact when assembled and with a clamp 21 encompassing them in locked position after the adjunct-element has been applied to the grip-handle 6. In this form the screw-bolt 22 can be readily loosened by partially freeing the nut 23 and then the open parts of the two hook-members19 and 20 brought into gap or spaced alignment for the ready entrance and removal of the said adjunct-element into and from its place on the said grip-handle. The

said nut 23 can be readily tightened when the adjunct is in place on said handle. Besides, the prop-member 16 can be easily canted or angled to suit the thickness or bulk of the forearm of the person using the adjunct and to much better advantage than in the onepiece satchel-hanger jaw-member form of the first three views. The two-member form of adjunct is easily adjusted for use on the fore-arm and to enable the device to be collapsed into folded or compact condition for putting away (in the pocket, in the pack, or elsewhere,) and in packing into boxes or containers for handling in stock and on sale.

It is obvious that other simple forms of clamp devices may be used instead of the one 21 shown in Fig. 1 to fasten the hook members 19 and 20 in adjustably-assembled relation.

It is obvious that instead of the device being made of heavy wire and of round crosssection, as shown, it could be made of flat sheet or bar material, (such as steel, aluminum, or the like, from three-fourths of an inch to an inch and a half, or more, wide), and provided with a curled outer end that bears on the upper face of the suitcase top and needs no leather padding or cover.

Instead of attaching or connecting the adjunct-element to the grip-handle it could be mounted in a pivotal manner and suitably braced on the said upper face of the top of the suit-case, and otherwise duly arranged so that the arch-member 11 could be conveniently rested on the fore-arm of the person carrying the pack.

In use, the weight of the heavy pack is all on the fore-arm that is well adapted to carry it when in the horizontal position seen in Fig. 1, and the nearer the crotch at the elbow the better, to prevent any dragging effect of the weight on the forearm toward its outer end where the leverage is greater against the strength of the then verticallypositioned upper-arm that really carries the burden.

I claim 1. An auxiliary or adjunct carrier-element for a suit-case, valise, or like pack or burden, adapted to be used or rested on the forearm of the person and comprising an arched fore-arm member, a prop-member and an intermediate attaching jaw-member, the latter adapted to be engaged with the griphandle of the said burden and the said prop- 0 member to rest or fulcrum upon and engage the upper face or the side of the said burden.

2. An auxiliary or adjunct carrier-element for a suit-case, valise, or like pack or burden, comprising an arched fore-arm member having an open-circle hook-formation at its outer end, a prop-member having a corresponding open-circle hook-formation at its inner end adapted to align and coincide with the said hook-formation on the fore-arm member for forming a detaining or locking jaw-member between the said fore-arm member and the said prop-member and for connection with the grip-handle of the said burden, and a clamp device on said aligned hook-formations adapted to hold the same in adjusted position for use and further adapting them to be collapsed or part ed, as the case may be, for folding and putting the device into small compass when it 10 is not in use, substantially as shown and de scribed.

CHARLES RITTENHOUSE, JR. 

